Benue Catholic School Moves Students for Safety Reasons

St Winifred Girls Secondary School in Ihugh, Benue State, has moved its students to four other Catholic schools in the state. This decision comes after ongoing fires at the school's hostels and worries about student safety.

In a notice dated 17 October, the school's management explained that the move was made after talking with the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Gboko and the Director of Catholic Education Services.

The students will start classes in their new schools on 23 October.

Basic 7 and Senior Secondary School (SSS) 2 students will go to Queen of the Rosary Secondary School in Gboko. Basic 8 and 9 students will attend St Mary Girls’ Secondary School in Adikpo.

SSS 1 students will move to Our Lady of Apostles Girls’ Secondary School in Vandeikya, while SSS 3 students will be placed at Notre Dame Secondary School in Mkar.

The school stated that this arrangement is only temporary. The Church will decide on the future of the school, especially due to the safety concerns in the area.

“We wish to reassure all parents and guardians that this arrangement is temporary,” the notice said.

Some teachers and support staff have also been assigned to the receiving schools to help with teaching and to guide students during this period.

The management expressed regret to parents and students for the disruption. They promised to set up communication channels to keep families updated.

This relocation follows several fires at the hostels. The Catholic Diocese of Gboko mentioned this as a reason for closing Catholic institutions in Ihugh.

In a letter from 12 October, the diocese announced the indefinite closure of St Winifred Girls Secondary School, St Winifred Nursery and Primary School, St Thomas Hospital, Salus Mudi Care Centre, and St Winifred Parish.

The letter was signed by Bishop William Avenya and the diocesan chancellor, Marcellinus Wende.

The diocese reported that the school’s hostels caught fire on 28 October 2025, 10 May 2026, 15 May 2026, and 11 October 2026.

It also pointed to repeated thefts at St Winifred Parish and criminal activities at St Thomas Hospital. They described these as ongoing attacks on Church properties.

The diocese said it worked with community leaders, traditional rulers, and security officials to improve the situation but did not get solid promises of safety.

“The Church cannot, in conscience, continue to expose her Priests, Consecrated Persons, Teachers, Medical personnel, Students and Patients to danger,” the pastoral letter said.

PREMIUM TIMES previously reported on the diocese's decision to close the institutions and pull back its staff from Ihugh due to continuous attacks and lack of security.

In another letter to students and parents, the school’s principal, Isaac Shalegh, apologized for the ongoing incidents and the impact on students’ education.

He mentioned that he had assured students that things would improve after earlier fires but felt crushed when another fire happened.

According to the principal, community leaders had promised that the incidents would not happen again and that they would fix the damaged buildings before students returned in September 2026.

He noted that students returned to find those promises were not kept as expected.

The principal also shared an event on Friday, 9 October, when students saw something suspicious that indicated there might be another fire. He contacted the necessary authorities before another fire broke out on Sunday, 11 October.

Mr Shalegh described the latest incident as the fourth fire. He witnessed students fleeing the school in fear and going home without proper preparation, with some arriving as late as 11 p.m.

“I can no longer promise you the safety of remaining in this community under the present circumstances,” he wrote.

He apologized to students and parents, saying he never meant to mislead them or give false hope.

“I am writing because you deserve to know how deeply this situation has affected me and how sincerely I regret the pain you have endured,” he said.

The principal added that he tried to protect the students but can no longer guarantee their safety given the current situation.

The school has not said when students might return to Ihugh. Its management stated that the temporary arrangement will stay until the Church makes further decisions.